Several ministry-level departments, including those responsible for commerce, health, and human resources and social security, have recently responded to issues of public concern.

Insurance open to HK, Macao, Taiwan residents

Residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan will be able to apply for Chinese mainland social insurance starting next year, according to provisional regulations issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on Dec 3.

The regulations will take effect on Jan 1, and apply to people who work, study or live in the Chinese mainland.

Residents lawfully recruited and employed by Chinese mainland enterprises should take part in five basic insurance programs－endowment, medical, work-related injury, unemployment insurance and maternity.

Those who live in the Chinese mainland but are not employed, can join endowment and medical insurance programs according to the regulations of the cities they live in. The regulations also cover people who are self-employed or flexible employees.

The procedure to join social insurance programs and the benefits, are the same as those for mainland residents.

Those already in social insurance programs in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan can provide documentation to be exempted from the Chinese mainland programs.

Input into regulation of domestic workers sought

The Ministry of Commerce and the National Health Commission are seeking public comment on a draft to regulate physical checkups for domestic workers.
The draft specifies the kinds of health conditions that prohibit people from offering domestic services. They include serious cardiopulmonary disease, drug abuse, infectious tuberculosis and a history of mental illness.

It divides domestic services into four categories according to whether workers have direct contact with food and their customers, as well as the kind of people they are taking care of, and establishes four different sets of health requirements.

Those who take care of pregnant women, new mothers or infants are subjected to the strictest standards.

Companies offering domestic services are required to have their workers take physical checkups on a regular basis to see if they meet the health requirements, the draft says.

It also encourages hospitals to share test results on an online platform managed by the Ministry of Commerce, where consumers and domestic services companies can review the results with the consent of the workers.

Growth target set for new energy vehicle industry

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued a draft plan to develop the new energy vehicle industry from 2021 to 2035.

The goal is to make China a powerhouse of new energy vehicles after 15 years. By 2025, there should be major breakthroughs for key technologies including battery, motor and operating systems, the draft says.

The draft calls for improving innovation capacities, building a new type of industrial ecology, and promoting the integrated development of the new energy vehicle industry with other industries such as energy, transport and telecommunications.

It also calls for boosting infrastructure, including charging stations and wireless telecommunications networks that support self-driving.

The draft says deeper international cooperation is needed to enhance the competitive edge of the industry.

As one of the measures to guarantee the industry's development, the draft calls for heightened protection of intellectual property rights.